Reading Coping Mechanisms
by WheelOfDestruction
Summary: I know I'm one sick bastard but i found the story interesting and wanted to have them read it. Only Nico and Thalia's chapters will be read since I think those are the least scaring and they are the only ones i like personally.
1. Chapter 1

Hey I found this while looking for a good Thalico story. Check it out it actually is a really good twist about how the war could have ended. For the purpose of this story i am only doing Thalia and Nico's chapters because the others will just disgust people. Have fun.

I do not own PJO or HOO

* * *

Thalia was sitting in cabin one with Jason, Piper, Leo, Annabeth, Percy, Frank, Hazel and Nicowhile playing random card games. Right now they were playing go fish but lets get back on track shall we. Nico. She kept steeling glances at him from time to time and she knew he was doing the same. Suddenly a flash blinded everyone in the room only to reveal a book with a note on it. It wasn't a very thick book. Probably only 10 to 20 pages. Annabeth immediately picked it up and read the title.

"Coping Mechanisms." She read. She then ripped the note off the cover and read it. _"I was bored, this is just for shits and giggles, enjoy. GoldenDragonKing."_ "There's a summary on the back." She flipped the book over.

"_We lost the war, we lost our friends, and we lost all hope. We all chose to deal with the aftermath in different ways, and those choices and mistakes may haunt us, but how else can we cope? In a dark version of the present where the titan's won the war how do the demigods of camp half-blood survive._" All of them looked at each other apprehensively. This book had something they both wanted and didn't want to know about; what would happen if they lost the war. Finally Nico couldn't take it anymore and opened the book. He flipped through the blank pages until he rested on the first page with writing on it. He took a deep breath before he started to read.

**Nico**

"Really, your name is the chapter name, original." Scoffed Percy, trying and failing to lighten the mood.

**She drives me crazy, and I mean absolute bat-shit crazy. Why do I put up with her? Why do I put myself through this? She's a drunk, she's a bitch, and goddammit, she's got me wrapped around her finger.**

"Who?" Everyone asked at the same time. Nico shrugged before continuing.

**When we lost the war and lost most of our friends, nothing was ever the same again; I was never the same again. Coping with this changed world, with the deaths of almost everyone I knew has been the biggest struggle I've ever faced. Camp Half-Blood has become a refuge for the dozen or so demigods that survived. And when I say refuge, I actually mean insane asylum. It seems everyone here has lost their goddamn mind in one way or another, myself included. Annabeth's fucking ********, Thalia's never _not_ half in the bottle, Katie gets off on having the shit beat out of her, and me, well, I'm in love with the alcoholic daughter of Zeus. Yes, my mind is gone, too.**

"WHAT?" Everyone yelled. Looking between Nico and Thalia who were both bright red and looking away from each other. Annabeth, Percy and Jason were looking at Nico like they were protective siblings who were trying to intimidate her first boyfriend. Nico raised his hands in a calming manner.

"Hey it didn't happen. This is an alternate dimension. Its not like I spelt with her." He said, the three demi-gods looked at each other before nodding and gesturing for him to read.

**Well, I say I love her, but I don't know if that's true. I mean, I'm only 16 years old. Is that old enough to know what love is? Either way, I do know I care about her...a lot. She's the only woman I've ever been with. Maybe that's where the connection comes from. It's a unique relationship, to say the least. We're each others release,**

"OK Creepy..." Says percy, extending the y until Annabeth smacks him upside the head.

** each others escape from the shitty world around us, and whether it be her beating the hell out of me or me pounding the hell out of her, she never ceases to take my pain away, and I can only hope I do the same for her.**

"Awww." Cooed Piper. "In its own sick twisted way, that's kind of sweet." Everyone looked at her like she was crazy but she just rolled her eyes and told Nico to keep reading.

"Ok but if there are going to be hints that you two did the nasty through this entire chapter then let me know so I can leave." Said Jason. "That's my sister."

**It all started about two years ago, around the time Thalia started drinking. I didn't judge her for using alcohol to dull her pain...not at first. To each their own, right? But when it came to the point when I was having to go to her cabin every night around the time I expected her to pass out to make sure she was sleeping on her stomach and not on her back, because gods forbid she choke on her own vomit in the middle of the night, ****I knew it was getting out of control. Try telling a drunk they have a problem. She shut me down before all the words even came out of my mouth. She's in denial, or maybe she knows it, but doesn't want to quit for fear of the constant hurt and guilt returning. I'm not really sure. Like it matters. She's never going to stop; she's in too deep.**

Thalia looked down ashamed. She had become what swore she would never be; her mother. Jason reached over to her and gripped her hand to confort her, Annabeth and hazel also leaned over to confort her.

**I guess I could say I'm in too deep, as well. I moved out of cabin 11 and into cabin 10, which was empty, to be closer to her. She was staying in cabin 8. Some nights when I'd go check on her she'd still be awake. She'd proceed to scream at me, telling me she can take care of herself...yeah, right. The screaming match would turn into a fist fight, and eventually, we'd be tangled up in a naked, sweaty mess on her cabin floor. I liked those nights.**

Everyone was now glaring at Nico, who was sweating at the deadly aura of sibling doom they were emitting.

**The first time we had sex, I'll admit, I was scared to death. I'd just turned 15, and I had no clue what I was doing, but neither did she. It was awkward, very, very, very awkward. We avoided each other for two months after that. But-**

"NO, NO BUTS, you stay away from my sister!" Yelled Jason with Annabeth nodding fiercely. Percy shrugged and Hazel and Frank blushed slightly at the thought of their friends doing _it._

** one night, in a drunken stupor, she came over to my cabin. All she had on was a t-shirt, and I knew what she wanted. I could've told her no, that she was drunk and I didn't want to take advantage of her,**

"Good." Said Percy, Everyone nodding with him.

** but I'll be damned if I'm gonna babysit her drunk ass all the time and not get something in return.**

Now they all looked furious, but none more so than Thalia, Nico saw her hand reaching for her dagger.

** So, that night, I took it slow, let her sober up a little.**

Everyone looked less furious.

**She didn't like that idea at first, but the more I trailed my fingers across her smooth skin and kissed her softly all over her body (and oh, my gods what a body),**

Jason put his hand over his stomach and swallowed hard.

**she began to realize we could make this a million times better than the first time, and we could make it last all night, which we did...and half the next day. That demigod stamina comes in handy sometimes.**

"Ok i'm about to puke could someone get me a bucket?" Asked Jason, his hands covering his mouth and his face green. Thalia grabbed a garbage bin and gave it to Jason who proceeded to puke his guts out at the description of his sister and one of his friends doing it.

**By the third year, Thalia and I were pretty much all each other had. Annabeth was off in her own little fantasy world with *****.**

"Ok who is it that i'm sleeping with because censoring it is getting really annoying." Yelled Annabeth.

**Pollux, well, he was a drunk, too. Katie, Conner, and Clarisse had their own twisted love triangle to work out, and the few other campers that were here just surviving, they pretty much kept to themselves. I wanted to move in with Thalia by then, but she wouldn't have it. I wanted to be able to keep an eye on her, but she knew that's why I suggested it, and that's why she shot down the idea. She didn't want me in her business all the time. I guess I can understand that. There are times I don't even want to look at her,**

Thalia looked down, ashamed at how far she had fallen. She had become her mother for the most part.

**usually after she's called me every derogatory word she can think of then bloodies my nose. I try not to hit her back, but it never works out that way, especially when her powers get involved. Electrocution is not fun...**

"No kidding" Said Nico to his alternate self in the book, Thalia packed an electrical punch.

**at all. That bitch has nearly put me in a coma, twice. Though, I will say, when I'm on top of her, giving her all I've got,**

*Cue Jason Hurling into the bucket.

**and she runs her fingers down my spine letting the slightest electrical current flow from her body to mine, the sensation is unbelievable, and I know that means I'm doing exactly what she wants.**

Thalia looks intrigued and experimentally runs her fingers down Nico's spine while letting some of her electrical power run through her fingers. Nico shivers and moans slightly before slapping his hand over his mouth and glaring at Thalia who was now smirking. Jason looked interested too as he did the same to piper. The daughter of Aphrodite moaned as well before swatting Jason's hand away.

**And now, three years after the war, that's how things are with us: she drinks, we scream and fight, then we fuck. I don't know if I'm anything more to her than a easy lay or an overbearing kid that she finds convenient to beat on, but there are times, times when she's sober and we actually get along, I think she might just care about me a little, too.**

"Creepy but still kind of sweet that you care about her that much." Said Piper before Jason passed the bucket around and everyone threw up into it, including Nico and Thalia.

"Ok, lets finish this thing and never speak of this again." Said Annabeth.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey I found this while looking for a good Thalico story. Check it out it actually is a really good twist about how the war could have ended. For the purpose of this story i am only doing Thalia and Nico's chapters because the others will just disgust people. Have fun.

I do not own PJO or HOO

* * *

**Thalia**

**They're gone…every single one of them. My sisters are dead; the Hunt is dead, and it's all my fault.**

Thalia looked down slightly ashamed.

**I was their lieutenant. I was supposed to protect them, not lead them to their deaths.**

But you didn't. Said percy. Thalia smiled at him.

**I was stupid and arrogant for thinking we even had a chance of winning the war. It was a lost cause from the beginning, but we wouldn't dare admit it, so we fought a hopeless battle in vain, and the blood of those who died is on my hands.**

Thalia had tears in her eyes. Nico leaned over and hugged her. "Thalia its ok they didn't die here." Thalia smiled slightly comforted.

**The guilt is fucking unbearable, and I'm so angry that all I want to do is break something or kill something, maybe myself. It's not like it's never crossed my mind. It would be so easy that way, but I can't bring myself to actually do it. I'm a coward. And so, I just break things…everything. Annabeth tries to help me, she really does,**

Annabeth smiles at Thalia and she smiles back.

**but she seems so, I don't know, hypocritical, self-righteous, whiny?**

Annabeth's smile changed to a frown and she mock-glared at the daughter of Zeus.

**I guess I shouldn't be so hard on her. She's having a difficult time, too. She lost Percy,**

Percy's eyes widened, he was dead?

**and even though their relationship was officially only friendship, it was clear their bond was much deeper. She doesn't talk about him, but the gods know his death is killing her.**

Percy smiled sadly and kissed Annabeth on the cheek. She smiled at the son of Poseidon.

**It only took about a year for me to break damn near everything in camp, and the campers were almost to the point of kicking my sorry ass to the curb, but as luck would have it, Pollux came up with a better solution to my problem: anger management in a bottle. Drinking away my pain was something I never considered. I'd watched my mother get so smashed so many times, and I swore I would never be her, but that was before my entire world came crashing down around me. I needed something. I was already losing my mind. The nightmares and the memories were driving me mad. I needed an escape. I needed a way to cope. I needed something to dull the pain, and booze did the job, for the most part, anyway.**

Thalia looked down, she hated what this version of her had become but after everything she had been through... could she blame her. Nico reached out and grasped her hand, intent on providing some small comfort.

**At first, it started with a nightcap, a glass or two of wine to take the edge off and to help me fall asleep. When two wasn't enough anymore, I drank four, then the whole bottle. It made me feel so much better, nothing mattered when I drank. Whether it be strawberry wine from Pollux's cellar or whiskey fresh from his still, I always had a drink, and I was never stone-cold sober again. No one really cared that I was drinking my worries away. Why would they? They had their on shit to worry about, and if they were going to judge me, then that meant they'd have to take a long, hard look at themselves, and I know most campers would be horrified at what they saw. Only one person ever seemed concerned about my drinking, and that was Nico di Angelo.**

Now everyone was glancing between the two as their blushes reappeared.

**He's so annoying, all up in my shit all the time. I get it; he worries, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why. He wasn't like that the first year after the war. As a matter of fact, I barely saw him at all that first year, but by the second year he was following me around like a lost puppy.**

Thalia smirked as Nico and began to make cute puppy noises at the son of hades who responded by tickling her with the shadows that flickered around the cabin. The rest looked on both amused and surprised at the way the two interacted.

**It was kinda cute at first... **

Nico gave Thalia a puppy dog pout.

**But soon he was nothing more than a pain in my ass. He'd changed a lot since the war. He wasn't that little kid I met at Westover Hall anymore. He was well on his way to becoming a grown man even though he was only 15. The crazy world we're living in forced him to grow up fast; it forced all of us to. He'd become the responsible one, the grown up, and I couldn't help but admire that, but that didn't mean I liked it. I told him that if he said one more word about my drinking, I'd kick his ass. He didn't believe me, but by gods, he believes me now.**

Thalia was now smirking up a storm while Nico winced in sympathy for his other self. He also felt proud, given Thalia's apparent drunkenness he doubted that Thalia would be able to beat him which means he must have let her win. He smiled slightly.

**That's really how things started between us. The fighting was a great distraction from the chaos. It was something we could control, something we could do to release our anger and frustrations.**

Now everyone's mood sobered, they once again remembered why they were like this, the chaos around them must be horrible.

**It worked for a while, but eventually, it wasn't enough. I'm not quite sure how it happened. I think I was about to headbutt him or something, but I was stopped cold in my tracks with his lips on mine. He pulled away quickly. I think he was just as surprised at what he'd done as I was, and he apologized.**

**Thalia nodded and Nico exhaled in relief.**

**No apology needed; it was kinda nice, actually.**

Now Nico gave Thalia a superior smirk as the daughter of Zues glared at him.

**I know, weird, right? I don't know what I was thinking; I was drunk, but it was probably something along the lines of _oh, what the hell_, when I leaned in slowly and kissed him. And, well, that lead to the most awkward experience of my life.**

"HAHAHAHAHA" That was the sound that could be heard in the immediate vicinity of the two. The other demigods laughed at the two's embarrassment.

**Things between us didn't stay awkward for long, though. That old saying _practice makes perfect_, we took it to heart and believe me, it works. He is still an annoying shit-head, and we still fight like cats and dogs,**

Everyone smirks while Nico rolls his eyes with a slight smile.

**But the fighting always leads to sex, now. It's strange how I can be so angry at him, be pounding my fist into him one minute,**

Thalia grins wildly and slams her fist into her open palm.

**And the next minute all I want is for him to grab me in his arms and tell me how beautiful I am, tell me how much he wants and needs me.**

Now Thalia looked slightly torn while Nico now had small sad smile on his face. Quickly he leaned in and whispered something into Thalia's ear that everyone else missed, they didn't miss however, the enormous blush that worked its way onto the girl's face.

**As good as it feels to fight him, those bat-winged butterflies stirring in my stomach when he kisses my neck feel so much better. And the sex, even better than that. It pisses me off to no end that he makes me feel this way. I'm a Hunter. Boys are evil, right? Ugh, it makes me want to punch him in the face, but then that leads to me pinning him to the floor**

Jason pucked.

**or him pinning me against the wall**

Annabeth pucked.

**or me leaning over the chair**

Nico smiled devilishly.

**...need I go on?**

"NO!" Was everyone's response.

**It's a vicious cycle...just like the booze.**

**It's been three years since my world was turned on its end; I've been drinking for two of those years. I always told myself I'd never become my mother, no matter the circumstances. That was an epic fail, because that's exactly who I've turned into. I inherited my father's quick temper and my mother's addictive personality. That's a pretty volatile combination, and poor Nico has put himself in the crossfire. But I will say this, if it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't be here today.**

The book floated in the air before disappearing in a flash of light. The eight demigods looked at each other before heaving what was left in their stomachs into the toilet one by one.


End file.
